Hay-press.



1. MIN. HAY PRESS.

APPLICATION FI LED MAR. 21, I9l 4.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

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J. DAIN.

HAY PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED MARIZI. 1914. 1,213,158. Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

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HAY-PRESS.

Application filed March 21, 1914. I Serial No. 826,265..

" drawings.

My invention relates to hay presses, and has for one of its objects the provision of a new and improved form of supporting means for the press.

Power hay presses are very heavy at the front end, owing to the location of the gearingat that point. In cases. where the press is driven by a gas engine, the gas engine is also usually mounted at the front end of the press. Inasmuch as this weight is supported rather high in order to prevent the frontwheels from interfering with the frame in turning, the result is that the press is top-heavy and rather inclined to upset when the wheels on one side attain a position very much lower than the wheels at the other side. This tendency to upset is very greatly increased by reason of the pivotal connection of the press frame to the axle of the front wheels permitting the frame to swing laterally relative to the axle upon a longitudinally-extending axis. As a result of this manner of mounting the frame at the front end, when the press is being hauled over asideling place, the front end of the frame by reason of the great weight mounted thereon at a'comparatively high point, becomes inclined from the normal position much more markedly than does the axle itself. This results not only in. a dangerous tendency to upset, but also twists and cramps the frame, putting a severe strain upon the frame, the axle, the front wheels and the tongue. Moreover, in machines of this type in which the engine is located at the front end of the press, it has been customary to locate the rear wheels on opposite sides of the baling" chamber, such wheels being placed as near to the baling chamber as working conditions will perunit in order to give free access to the baling chamber during the operation of the machine. It has been customary. to connect the axle of therearwheels with the frame of the press so as to prevent vertical rocking ofthe axle relative to the frame, but

s ecimen, of Ilctters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

in View of the comparatively short distance i separating the two rear wheels the machine as a whole has been exceedingly unstable. It is one of the objects of myinvention -to provide a construction by the. use ,of

which the tilting of the frame at thefront end with the heavy engine thereon-beyond that of the front axle shall be prevented, at the same time providing for the proper freedom of movement between the frame and its supporting parts.

. It is another object of my. invention to improve devices of this type insundry details hereinafter pointed out;

The preferred means by which I have accomplished my objects are illustrated in r the accompanying drawings and are hereinafter specifically described.

In the drawings, Figurel is a side view of a hay press, partlybroke'n away, embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is a toplor plan view of the front end of the pressv frame, together with the axle, and their connected parts; Fig. 3 is substantially a cross secti'on on line 33 of Fig. 2, but with the supporting wheels mounted upon the axle; F ig.

4 is substantially a cross section on line i-l of Fig. 3'; Fig. 5 is substantially a cross section on line 55 of Fig.1; Fig. 6 is substzii-ntially a cross section on line 6+6 of Fig. and Fig. 7 is' a top or plan view of the bolster by which the frame is connected to the rear axle.

Referring to the.drawings,1O11-indicate the main longitudinallyextending bars of the press frame, in the construction shown bemg 1n the form of angle-irons, connected together at their forward ends by a transverse bar 12. v

13 indicates the hopper of thehay press adapted to have the beater. head 14 lowered thereinto periodically by the engine 15 and its cooperating parts, includingthe'flyswheel 16, the pulley 17 and Inasmuch as the hay press proper is of the form and construction illustrated in in pending application Serial No. 721,354, filed the eccentric. gear 18. 7

September 20, 1912, and in my later pending application Serial No. 808,194, filed Deicember 22, 1913, it is not believed to be necessary to further describe herein these parts or their operation. 5

Referring now. particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, 19-2O indicate brackets securedto the bars 10.1 1, respectively, and depending therefrom, each of said brackets being in the form of an arc of a circle, as best shown in Fig. 2. 21 indicates a plate extending transversely from one to the other of the brackcts l9-20. said plate 21 having reinforo ing flanges 22-23 at its opposite edges, as best shown in Fig. 4. 24.,indicates a heavy plate extending transversely from one to the other of the bars 1011 and secured to said bars by bolts, or in any other suitable manner. As best shown in Fig. 3, the plate 24 is provided at its ends with diagonallyextending portions which are brought down into position upon the ends of the plate 21 where they are secured to the brackets 19-20 by bolts, or in any other suitable manner. By the construction just described an exceedingly strong fifth wheel is provided for the press frame, as will be readily understood.

26 indicates the front axle having revolubly mounted thereon supporting wheels 27-28 in any suitable manner. In the construction shown the axle'26 is in the form of an I-beam. but it will be understood that the axle may be of any other suitable form. As best shown in Fig. 4, the axle 26 has mounted upon its central point a bracket 29 shaped to conform at its forward end to the'outline of the beam 26 and having its ends extending rearwardly from said beam. In the construction shown the bracket 29 is secured to the axle 26- by means of bolts, but I do not wish to restrict myself to this particular mode of construction. Through suitable openings in the rear ends of the bracket 29 and in the plate 21 at its middle point there is mounted a king bolt 30' by which the axle 26 is pivotally mounted relative to the brackets 19-20, which brackets bear directly upon the beam 26 at opposite sides of the frame, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 2, 8132 indicate eye-bolts secured to the web of the axle 26 at opposite sides of the machine having pivotally secured thereto atransverse-bar 33 secured to the rear end of the tongue 34. The transverse-bar and the tongue are suitably braced relative to each other by means of hounds 3536 suitably secured to said parts. It will be readily understood that the axle 26 is adapted to be turned upon the king bolt 30 relative to the press frame through the medium of the tongue 34, but that the frame is not adapted to tilt relative to the axle by reason of the brackets 1920 carried by the frame and bearing upon the axle at opposite sides of the press.

Coming now to the means for mounting the rear wheels upon the press frame, 37 indicates the rear axle of any approved form having revolubly mounted upon its ends in any suitable manner supporting wheels 3839. The axle is provided at its middle point with a cap-plate 40 secured to the axle by means of bolts, or in any other suitable manner. The-cap-plate is provided with a shoulder 41 at its middle point, said shoulder being rounded, as best shown in Fig. 5. The press frame has depending from. it at its rear end a bolster 42 secured at its ends to said frame by means of bolts, or in any other suitable manner. As shown in Fig. 7, the bolster 42 is provided with a transversely elongated opening 43 at its central point which fits upon the neck portion 44 of the cap-plate 40, being adapted to rock upon the rounded shoulder 41 .as if mounted upon longitudinally-extending horizontal pivot. As best shown in Fig. 6,'the cap-plate 40 is provided with a head 45. adapted to hold the bolster 42 against withdrawal from the capplate except when the axle and capplate 40 are turned int-oclongitudinal position relative to the frame, when the head 45 is adapted to be withdrawn from the opening 43, as will be readily understood. The axle 3? is normally held in substantially transverse position upon the cap-plate 40 by means of links 4647 secured at their rearends to the axle 37 and at their front ends 5 to the press frame in advance of said axle. In this way therear axle 37 is permitted to swing freely upon a longitudinally-extending axis, but is held against swinging 1 7 upon a vertical axis.

By the use of my lnvention the front axle above which the greater portion of the weight of the press is mounted is held against swinging vertically relative to the frame. In other words, when the axle itself is tilted out of normal position by reason of the unevenness of the ground, the front end of the frame is tilted to the same extent and is held against tilting abnormally beyond that of the axle. At the same time the front axle is free to swing on a vertical pivot for guiding and controlling the machine without restriction, while the pivotal connection of the rear axle with the frame is such that the rear wheels which are comparatively close together on opposite sides of the baling axis. In this manner the danger of upsetting is very materially decreased and the 7 strain upon the frame and other supporting parts is to a great degree eliminated.

In my improved machine, the beater-head 14 is preferably made of a width but little less than that of the hopper 13 so as to operate most eflectively in forcing the hay into the compression chamber. As shown in Fig. 1, the pivotal mounting of the beaterhead 14 is located approximately midway between the ends of the frame 10. at some little distance longitudinally of the press from the hopper 18. The consequence is that, if the frame 10 is twisted to any great extent longitudinally, the alinement of the beater-headrelative to the hopper is likely to be very materially changed, whereby the beater-head is renderedincapable under such circumstances of being lowered squarely into the center of the hopper but is brought down very often into contact with the edge ofthe hopper. It is'thus seen that it is highly important that the frame 10 be protected as fully as possible against any tendency to twist under conditions of use. The expedient which I have adopted for protectingthe frame 10 against being unduly twisted is therefore seen to be of very great importance, not only in the transportation of the machine but also under conditions of use during a hay pressing operation. By reason of having the portion of the frame which supports the heavy unit or units of the machine supported against tilting laterally, the effect of the great weight of these parts as tending to twist the frame is kept at all times at a minimum. At the same time, the opposite end of the frame, which supports the comparatively much lighter units of the machine, is pivotally mounted on a longitudinally extending axis so as to permit lateral tipping, this being comparatively unobjectionable by reason of the lightness of the parts located on that end of the frame. lVith the twisting of the frame 10 kept at a minimum in my improved machine under conditions of use during a hay pressing operation, the beater-head 14 is capable "of being lowered accurately into the center of the hopper without danger of being brought into contact with the edge of the hopper. The effective capacity of the press is consequently increased, since the feederhead 14 operates at a maximum efficiency for feeding the hay into the hopper. At the same time. the wear and tearupon the feeder-head and the operating parts by reason of an. abnormal contact ofthe feederhead with the edge of the hopper is entirely avoided. and the wear and tear upon. the frame by reason of an excessive twisting of the frame is also eliminated, the normal life of the press being thus'very materially increased.

As will be readily understood, for efficient operation it is necessary that the driving mechanism be maintained as nearly as possible in normal alinement with the hay-pressing parts. lVhen the frame is twisted longitudinally to any very great extent, the gear mechanism is placed under undue strain, causing excessive friction and excessive wear, and the force imparted to the plunger is correspondingly less effective. Moreover, under such conditions the plunger is subject to binding by reason of the.

distortion of the parts. It is therefore imperative that the twisting of the frame be kept at a minimum. Tn machines in which the end of the frame upon which the motor and the heavy gear mechanism are located is free to tilt laterally, it is almost impossi ble to make the frame strong enough and rigid enough to prevent thishighly objecticnahle twisting, and if the frame is made heavy enough and strong enough to resist the twisting tendency of the great weight of the gear mechanism, the necessary weight of the frame and the added expense of pro ducing such a heavy frame'are themselves highly objectionable Any expedient which will materially reduce the extent to which the frame twists under conditions of use" without increasing the weight of the frame or the cost of the fame is therefore seen to be of considerable importance as the application of power to the hay-press ing part-s.

In hay presses of the type in which the perfect settingof the machine upon rough ground prior to the commencement of the work,by reason of the side pressure of the driving mechanism on account of an .ex cess. ofresistancc of the hay at one side or the other 'of the plunger in the plunger chamber,-or produced by any other agency whatsoever,--immediately brings the great weight of the gear mechanism located on that end of the machine into play to in crease the lateral tilting to such an extent as to very materially decrease the efficiency of the machine as above set forth. In my improved hay press. however, in which the end of the frame upon which the heavy gear mechanism and the motor are placed is held against lateral. tilting, and in which "ibration of the parts incident to the affecting V the end of the frame which is capable of. i

tilting laterally supports only the comparatively much lighter parts of the press, any slight tilting of that end of the machine laterally is of comparatively little consequence.

By my construction. in which the end of the frame upon which the heavy portions of the press are located is supported against lateral tilting, I am enabled to avoid the necessity for such nicety in the positioning of the parts as is necessary in machines of the old type for maintaining a balance of weights and a balanced application of power. At the same time, the operation of my press under normal conditions of use is very much more efiicient and economical. I therefore desire to claim broadly the novel combinations of parts by which I have atend of said frame so as tained the several advantages set forth, and my claims are to be construed accordingly.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

1. A hay-press, comprising a frame having a compression chamber toward. one end thereof, a compressing member movable into an out of .id compression chai'nlier,poweroperated me 1 "in mounted on said frame toward ritsitr end there op erating said compressing m and means supporting the compressi in chamber to PBi'lnlb it to tilt laterally to maintain substantial alinement hereof with the end of the frame supporting the power-operated mechanism, for the V purpose specified.

Ajhay-press, comprising a frame having a compres ion chamber toward one end thereof, a compressing member movable into out of said ronipression chamlmr,powerd mechanism mounted on said frame the opposi end thereof. for operating said comp. ing niembt inez supporting the power end of said tame a nd holding it agaii'ist late al tilting, and means supporting the compression chamber end of said frame so as to permit it to tilt laterally to maintain substantial alinement tl erect with the end of the frame supporting the power-operated mechanism, for the. purpose specified.

3. A hay-press. comprising a frame having a compression chamber toward one end thereof, a compressing member movable into and out of said compression chamber, a feeding device for feeding the hay into the compression chamber, power-operated mechanism mounted on said frame toward the end opposite the compression chamber end thereof, for operating said compressing member and said feeding ClQYlCQ, and means upnorting the compression chamber end of said frame so as to permit it to tilt laterally to maintain substantial alinement thereof with the end of the frame supporting the V power-operated mechanism, for the purpose specified.

l. A hay-press, comprising a frame having a compression chamber toward one end Copies of this patent may be obtained for thereof, a compressing member movable into and out of said compression chamber, a feeding device for feeding the hay into the compression chamber, power-operated mechanism mounted on said frame toward the end opposite the compression chamber end thereof for operating said compressing member and said feeding device, means supporting the power end of said frame and holding it against lateral tilting, and means supporting the compression chamber end of said frame so as to permit it to tilt laterally to maintain substantial alinement thereof with the power end of said frame, for the purpose specified.

A hay-press, comprising a framehaving a compression chamber toward one end thereof, a compressing member movable into and out of said compression chamber,poison operated mechan i mounted on said frame toward the oppos tc .nd thereof, for operating said compressing member, means supporting the compression chamber end of said frame so as to permit it to tilt laterally to maintain substantial alinement thereof with the power end of the frame, for the purpose specified, and supporting means for the power end of said frame arranged to swing about a vertical axis and acting to prevent lateral tilting of the latter end of said frame.

6. A portable hay-press having a co1npression chamber, a longitudinally-movable plunger for compressing the hay in said chamber, a rocking feeder for introducing hay into said compression chamber, and power-operated mechanism for actuating the plunger and feeder, characterized by the fact that the power end of the press is held against lateral tilting on its supports, and the compression chamber end thereof is capable of tilting laterally upon its supports to maintain the alinement of the compression chamber with the plunger and feeder, and prevent undue strains upon the operating mechanism therefor.

JOSEPH DAIN.

five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C." 

